A New Kind of Hero
by RoslinSharp
Summary: After Bruce's death in The Dark Rises, Selina becomes Gotham's new protector.


A New Kind of Hero

Selina wished she could have been there for the private reading of Bruce's will. Not the public reading Jim Gordon had read at Bruce's funeral, but the real document that gave Batman's final legacy to a jewel thief. She would have loved to have seen Jim and Alfred's faces when they found out.

As it was, Alfred had viewed her presence in the Batcave with skepticism and Lucas with open hostility. The next day, she'd rounded up the rest of Bane's gang and dropped them off bound and gagged in front of the police station. Neither man had ever doubted her again.

Selina didn't like the word hero. She also didn't like her accomplices' assumptions that Bruce had changed her life and made her a better woman. In her mind, she had always wanted to fight the rich and help the needy. Bruce's "gift" to her had just given her the power to level the playing field.

Selina laughed when Fox presented her with a modified version of Bruce's suit. She was a cat, not a bat, and while her costume might not inspire fear in men, she could certainly beat the crap out of them. She had, however, made a few concessions and allowed Mr. Fox to modify her costume to make it a little more bulletproof.

She squatting in front of the computer in the newly named "Catcave" one morning, when Alfred walked in with a newspaper and a breakfast tray.

"I see you haven't slept again, Miss Kyle. Any luck with your investigations into Mr. Sionis' affairs?"

Selina rolled her eyes at the use of the last name. Lucius had finally agreed to call her Selina, but Alfred refused to budge.

"Oh, I've got plenty of evidence to link him to this Black Mask guy, I just don't have a cop, judge, or jury willing to touch this billionaire scum."

"Then I suggest you take a look at this morning's paper, Miss Kyle."

Selina looked at the paper and snorted. "So, sleeping beauty made DA. What of it?"

"I believe you're letting your opinion of Gotham's justice system blind you from the opportunities ahead of you. I've known Ms. Dawes for most of her life and I can assure, if there's a DA that can bring Black Mask to justice, it's her.

Selina mulled this over, purposefully laying her feet on the desk in a way she knew Alfred hated.

…...

Rachel hated her new office. The furniture had changed, the walls had been repainted, and yet it still resonated with the presence of Harvey Dent. The man she had loved, the man the Joker had broken. Gordon had told her everything when she woken up from her nine-year coma. Harvey's downfall, Bruce and Jim's lie, Bane's invasion, Bruce's sacrifice, Jim's own forced resignation, and the police force's return to corruption in the wake of the Dent Act's repeal.

Rachel had once told Harvey she didn't want to live without him. She no longer had that option. There was a reason the Joker had chosen Harvey instead of her. Harvey may have given off an air of bravery and unwavering confidence in himself, the same qualities he had used to sweep her off her feet.

Yet, in her heart of hearts, Rachel had always known Harvey was weak, one shove away from a ticking time bomb. And she had been the catalyst.

Rachel had returned to her old job with a fiery passion. She couldn't dress up in a mask and cowl as Bruce had, but she could fight crime in her own way.

Of course, Bruce had never had to deal with the mountains of paperwork that came with being Gotham's District Attorney. Rachel looked at the clock, it was half past midnight and she should be heading home. She sighed and began to wrap up her latest report.

Suddenly, the lights went out, shortly followed by the hum of the building's emergency backup lighting. Rachel cursed her luck. The emergency systems barely gave her enough light to gather her things and go home, let alone finish her report.

"Burning the midnight oil, Ms. Dawes?"

A masked female figure stepped out from the shadows.

"Who are you, what do you want?"

The question was a distraction, Rachel already knew who the woman was. She just needed time to get to the gun in her desk drawer. The Catwoman had been quite the topic of conversation in Gotham, prowling the streets at night, causing havoc for cops and criminals alike.

"Someone like you, someone who wants to bring a little order back to Gotham."

The woman tossed a file on Rachel's desk.

"If you are what you say you are, you'll use this information to bring Black Mask to that pathetic excuse for justice your legal system provides. If not, you'll be seeing me again and I won't be so polite."

Rachel had managed to extricate her gun from her desk and used that opportunity to jump out from behind the desk, firing the bullets at the other woman.

The Catwoman easily dodged the bullets and laughed, then knocked Rachel to the floor and held her in a death grip.

Close-up Rachel watched the other woman lick her licks, mirroring the actions of the animal she had taken as her avatar.

"My, my. I'm starting to see what all fuss is about. I usually never do this kind of thing, but tonight I just can't help myself." She leaned in, giving Rachel the lightest of kisses.

Rachel felt the brief contact of the other woman's lips on hers and then...nothing. A second later the power was back on. Only the gun in her hand and a file on her desk marked "Roman Sionis", were the only evidence of her midnight visitor.

…...

Selina lept over the rooftops of Gotham, laughing as she went. For once, Alfred had been right. She looked forward to many more midnight encounters with Rachel Dawes.


End file.
